Governor promotes Lake Erie as resource

Taft, an avid fisherman, was the first to catch a large fish on the trip.
By ROB MEYER
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CLEVELAND -- Choppy Lake Erie waters didn't stop Gov. Bob Taft and others from participating in the 25th annual Fish Ohio Day.
Taft, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife officials, reporters and photographers departed from Cleveland's Wildwood Marina early Wednesday for an afternoon of yellow perch fishing. Though it did not rain during the day, storms from earlier in the week made the waters rough.
Fish Ohio Day is held to promote sport fishing on Lake Erie while raising awareness about the importance of the lake to both the economy and ecology of Ohio. This year, the trip departed from a Cleveland fishing port for the first time -- in the past, the trip departed from Port Clinton.
When the Linda Mae arrived at its fishing destination, five miles from the Wildwood port, Capt. Elliot Weintraub asked Taft which side of the boat he wished to fish from. One side was bright with sunlight; the other side featured a cool breeze.
"Doesn't matter to me," Taft said with a laugh. "I just want to catch them."
Caught first big fish
Taft, an avid fisherman, was the first person to catch a large fish on the trip -- a perch measuring 87/8 inches.
In between reeling in fish, Taft took time to praise Lake Erie as one of Ohio's best natural resources.
"Lake Erie is plentiful for a lot of choice fish," Taft said, with a fishing pole in hand. "This is a great place for people of Ohio to experience, from older people to kids."
Weintraub said fishing on Lake Erie has greatly improved in the last few years.
"The water clarity on Lake Erie has changed -- so has the fishing," Weintraub said. "But perch fishing hasn't changed much."
Along with yellow perch, walleye, small-mouth bass and steelhead trout are other types of fish popular in Lake Erie. Late in the summer, yellow perch can be found congregating at 35 to 55 foot depths. In 2001, Ohio anglers caught 5.5 million yellow perch.
Social fishing
Vicki Mountz, DOW information and education director, said perch fishing has become best known as "social fishing."
"Perch fishing on Lake Erie is great to bring together people," Mountz said, motioning to the various people on the boat. "The governor suggested we go out of Cleveland this year, and it has turned out great so far."
Mountz has participated in each of the 25 Fish Ohio Days. An event that occurred during the 1981 Fish Ohio Day sticks out in her mind.
James A. Rhodes, governor at the time, was on a small charter boat isolated from the rest of the party. Rhodes' grandchildren were fishing on one of the other charter boats. But while fishing, their boat caught on fire, and the engine exploded. Nobody was seriously hurt, but Rhodes' grandchildren had to be rescued from the burning boat.
"That was quite a sight," Mountz said. "But Gov. Rhodes just kept on fishing."
rmeyer@kent.edu